Growing geese at home for meat: technology, breed selection, feeding

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

The concept of poultry farming includes not only the cultivation of chickens. Geese make up worthy competition for restless laying hens. In terms of population, they rank second. Growing geese at home for meat is not an easy job, and the eggs they carry can replace chicken ones.

There are several breeds that are grown by poultry farmers. They differ in weight, habits, appearance, egg production and other indicators. Each breed has its own advantages and disadvantages.

General information

Domestic goose species are relatives of wild species. It is from them that they originated, but domestic species are larger and have a greater ripening rate and, as it is correct, white in color. Wild relatives have a gray-brown color.

When growing geese at home for meat, by the fourth month of life, some breeds weigh about four kilograms. This weight gain indicates high feed savings and profitability of poultry rearing.for meat.

Leaving the bird for breeding, take into account the ratio of males and females. Three geese are left for one gander. For a small farm, two families are left, from which they receive about 50 heads of offspring. If you plan to get more geese, then you should leave more birds for breeding.

Bird breeds

All breeds of geese belong to the meat direction. This is due to the fact that the bird almost does not lay eggs - about 90 pieces a year, and then, if you're lucky. Usually this figure is half as much - 45-50 pieces.

Inside the meat direction, all birds are divided into small, medium and large breeds of geese. The largest and heaviest: Kholmogory, Toulouse. Geese belong to medium-heavy: Adler, Arzamas, Rhine. Birds of Roman, Chinese and mixed breeds are considered easy.

Adler geese

This type of geese is bred from an unproductive variety with a low fat content of meat and low egg production. They were crossed with other breeds, including Solnechnogorsk, Large gray. As a result of painstaking selection work, the Adler breed of white birds of medium heavy type was obtained. It is perfectly adapted to growing in hot climates.

Arzamas

For growing geese at home for meat, the Arzamas breed is often chosen. It is characterized by a small weight of the carcass and an excellent presentation. However, this breed inherited another quality from its ancestors - a fighting character.

As a rule, the bird has white plumage, butgray and clayey species are not uncommon. Ganders gain about seven kilograms of weight, and geese - up to six. They produce about 40 eggs per year. Moreover, the breed is distinguished by a high fertility, which reaches 90%. The brood quickly gains weight and already at nine weeks the live weight is about 3.5 kg.

Vladimir geese

The breed is characterized by a calm character and stature. These geese are large, they get a lot of meat from them. However, the breeding of Vladimir clayey birds did not become popular. This is due to their gray-brown color, due to which the carcass is not attractive, and due to the low fertility of eggs, which does not exceed 55%. Otherwise, the breed is worthy of attention.

When growing geese for meat at home, you can get up to 8 or more kilograms of an excellent product from one bird. The egg production of the breed is average, up to 40 pieces. The offspring are self-bred. Goslings grow rapidly and weigh about 4 kilograms by two months.

Gorky breed

Targeted selection led to the production of Gorky geese. They were bred from the native variety by crossing with Solnechnogorsk and Chinese species.

The breed mostly has white plumage, but there are gray and piebald birds. Growing geese at home for meat allows you to get 7-8 kg of product. Females are smaller than males, producing about 55-60 eggs per season. Fertility is high - about 90%, of which about 80% is excreted. Young growth has a high safety, about 95%. At two months, goslings weigh an average of 3.5 kg.

Danish Legart

To grow geese for meat as a business, you should pay attention to this breed. Ganders weigh 8 ksh, and geese - 7 kg. At the age of two months, goslings gain 4 or more kg of weight.

The breed is unpretentious, although it requires greenhouse conditions. Because of this feature, it is not always used for home breeding, but is used only for business.

The lack of Danish Legates in low egg production and survival rate of goslings. They produce about 30 eggs per year, from which about 60% of the chicks hatch and survive. The breed has excellent fluff: up to 500 grams can be collected from one individual.

Demidov birds

Demidov geese - a collective name that includes the Ural, Italian, Lindovskaya breeds.

Italian is famous for its high productivity. Ganders grow up to seven kilograms in weight. Moreover, about four kilograms of meat can be obtained from an individual already at the age of two months. Geese weigh about six kilograms. The breed is distinguished by good egg production - from 50 eggs per year, hatchability - 65%. Representatives of the Italian breed are early and profitable for breeding.

The Lindovskaya breed of geese was obtained on the basis of the Gorky and Chinese breeds. Ganders weigh up to eight kilograms, and geese weigh a kilogram less. During the season, the bird carries up to 50 eggs. At the same time, they have high rates of egg production and brood safety.

Lindowskie geese are distinguished by unpretentiousness, precocity and rapid adaptation to any conditions of detention.

Ural orShadrinskiye

This breed is not very productive. Males rarely exceed 6 kg in weight, and geese - 5 kg. Representatives do not differ in egg production - up to 20 eggs per year. The geese themselves incubate the eggs and then nurse the offspring.

Shadrinsk birds are familiar to the Ural weather, showing high growth rates and unpretentiousness in content. However, the total yield of meat and eggs indicates mediocrity of productivity. In addition, the carcasses are not very attractive.

Chinese breed

Start keeping geese at home for beginners, it is best with this breed. It is considered one of the most ancient.

Despite its low productivity - weight 4.5-5.5 kg, the breed has a high egg production and can lay up to 80 or more eggs per year. The young Chinese geese are rapidly gaining their weight - by the age of two months, the bird weighs about 3 kg.

The disadvantages of the species include the fact that they need an incubator for breeding, they themselves do not incubate offspring.

Grey large

According to the description of the breed, the Large Gray Goose reaches a weight of 10 kg. Moreover, the geese practically do not lag behind the ganders by weight, gaining up to 9.5 kg. With the right technology for growing geese for meat, representatives of this breed can weigh about 5 kg in two months.

The egg production rate is about 50 pieces, but the output suffers, about 60-70%. Most often this species is used to create broiler breeds.

Kuban birds

For beginners, keeping geese at homeconditions can start with this breed. It does not have high meat productivity, but it can be considered a record holder in terms of egg production.

The feather of the breed is brown-gray. The average weight of a male is 5.5 kg, and that of a female is up to 5 kg. And how much does a goose grow before slaughter, and in what month can it be done? Representatives of this breed can be sent for meat from the age of 2.5 months. At this age, the bird weighs about 4 kilograms.

Young Kuban birds of moderate precocity. Gains about 3 kilograms at two months.

Gese have high egg production. They are capable of producing over 100 eggs per year.

Features of care

Having decided on the breed, everyone begins to be interested in questions, but how long do geese live and how to properly care for them? If the main task of growing is to get meat “for yourself”, then it is worth considering pasture content. You should start growing birds with the purchase of daily goslings, the price of which is from 200 rubles. Usually, young animals are raised for up to three months, then sent to slaughter.

For breeding poultry in the summer, it is not necessary to have outbuildings. These individuals spend all their time outside. If desired, you can build a mobile type of goose house by assembling it from rails and mesh. From above, the room is covered with roofing material. In a simplified version, a canopy is organized in the yard. If there is no reservoir nearby, then a bathing tank will be organized for the geese.

Ideal is the presence of a pasture with a lake, pond, river. From a week old, goslings begin to graze, accustoming them to pasture conditions.

When organizing a mobile walker, the calculation of the fence should be as follows: for one adult - 15 square meters. m, and for goslings - from 5 sq. m.

And what to feed the geese at home during the summer content? In summer, the bird is kept on pastures and feeds on grass. Grain is fed in the morning and evening.

When kept indoors, when birds are raised for meat in enclosures, they need to be provided with a complete diet rich in vitamins. For this, it is recommended to feed geese with compound feed, grain, root crops, freshly cut grass, and aquatic plant species. On a properly selected diet, goslings will weigh an average of 4 kg by two months of life.

Winter maintenance

In winter, birds are kept for eggs, offspring. Therefore, the daily diet, conditions of detention should contribute to an increase in egg production, the preservation of eggs and the production of offspring. It can be obtained naturally, by hatching geese, or in an incubator. The latter method is more reliable.

To increase egg production, it is necessary to provide the bird with at least 14 hours of daylight. After installing such lighting, after about a month, the geese begin to rush. During this period, it is important to pick up the eggs on time so that they do not get cold, otherwise the hatchability percentage will drop.

In the period before laying, the bird is provided with good nutrition. Geese are fed three times, giving wet mash and juicy types of feed in the mornings and evenings, and sprouted grains in the afternoon. In the diet, it is necessary to provide high-protein feed,including animal origin.

During the laying period, ganders begin to lose weight. To replenish it, it is recommended to give a mixture of oats, fish oil, fishmeal, carrots. This mixture is given only to males.

Holding birds in winter is not limited to getting eggs that can be incubated or placed under a hen. For incubation, experienced geese at the age of 2-3 years are used. They are left in the same nests where they laid eggs, separated from each other by partitions due to possible fights. During this period, the bird is provided with peace, access to food and water.

Lifespan

And how long do domestic geese live? The life expectancy of a bird directly depends on the quality of care. Domestic breeds live on average for about 20 years, and some species live up to 35 years or longer. If geese are provided with perfect care, then their life expectancy will be longer.

Feeding

During the summer, a bird can get most of its food for itself. But in winter, it must be supplemented by preparing food for the future. For the winter of one individual, it is necessary to provide up to 15 kg of hay, 35 kg of succulent feed. For hay, forbs, specially grown clover, alfalfa are suitable. These herbs can be ensiled. By its value, the finished product is no worse than freshly cut grass, it helps to improve digestion in the winter. From succulent feed, geese are given sugar beets, carrots.

Aquatic plants, leaves of birch, linden, aspen are of great value. Give the bird boiled oakacorns, which are pre-crushed. They are included in the mix. If possible, you can give geese worms, which are kept in cellars in clay containers with earth.

This diet allows you to quickly grow a bird in the summer, and in the winter to provide all the necessary vitamins and nutrients. And if you provide proper care, then the bird will thank you with good egg production, brood and tasty meat.